ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

Floppy Disk Artwork

Obsolete technology makes a comeback

Floppy Disk Artwork
04 January 2011

It’s said that nothing feels as dated as the recent past. It must be a familiar sensation to anyone who has piles of floppy disks, cassettes, VHS tapes and Polaroids stuffed under their bed or languishing in the cupboard gathering dust.

However, whereas most of us forget about these one-time hot technological gadgets in favour of the latest android phone/iPad/etc etc, Nick Gentry is recycling these formats in the name of art.

Having grown up with these artefacts in the Eighties and Nineties, Gentry, a graduate of Central St Martins, decided that while they might no longer serve a technological purpose, they still work culturally.

Floppy disks are used as a canvas for his portraits and he then paints stark, often eerie, photofits on top, a comment, surely, on the use of personal information and technological data.

Of course, the whole conceit works because the portraits are so arresting, but when the artwork makes you think at the same time, well, that can be no bad thing.

www.nickgentry.co.uk

Floppy Disk Art

An Amalgamation by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Back Up 26 by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Cross Referenced by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Lander by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Next Generation by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Pen Pal by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Out Of My Bios by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Profile Number 2 by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Self Portrait 01 by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood


Floppy Disk Art

Silent Syndicate by Nick Gentry

2010 / Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood